Coun. Jim Downer was conscious leaving Midland council chambers last night according to Fire Chief Richard Renaud, and praise was given to Coun. Sheldon East who responded immediately to the situation.
During the regular meeting of Midland council on Wednesday, Downer had concluded his thoughts regarding the agenda item of Midland Bay Landing. Roughly a minute later, he slumped forward in his seat and appeared unconscious.
East, seated to Downer’s immediate right at the council table, was the first to attend to Downer before anyone else could react.
Renaud, who by happenstance was in council chambers that evening, went over to assist East. 911 was called, CPR was started, and the defibrillator applied. Midland firefighters, OPP officers and Simcoe County Paramedics responded quickly to town hall.
“Councillor Downer regained consciousness after what appears to be his internal defibrillator went off," Renaud said in a statement issued by the town. "Councillor Downer was conscious when he left town hall. He was transported by Simcoe County Paramedics to Georgian Bay General Hospital in Midland.”
Mayor Bill Gordon praised East’s quick response shortly after the incident.
“I’ve got to call out East… he was immediately on doing CPR. And as absolute luck would have it – and we never have this – we had our new fire chief in the council chambers and he grabbed the defibrillator and immediately applied that;" said Gordon.
“You couldn’t have had better first responder presence. I guess the only thing better than this would be in the hospital at the moment. Absolute credit to Coun. East and all the staff that immediately sprung into action and very likely may have saved his life," Gordon said.
The issued statement continued with Renaud, who is also director of emergency services for Midland and Penetanguishene, also commending East for his composure and actions during the unexpected moment.
“The quick actions of Coun. East along with the rapid response by all three emergency services gave councillor Downer a fighting chance. Coun. East not only recognized that Coun. Downer was in distress, he also actively performed CPR while the public access defibrillator (AED) was being applied.” said Renaud.
“His actions, along with the rapid response by firefighters, police and paramedics all contributed to this positive outcome. I also want to thank the Town of Midland for having a defibrillator available at town hall. The town’s commitment to public safety is obvious and should be commended.”
Renaud wished to remind the public of the importance of learning first aid, CPR and how to use an defibrillator.
"During cardiac arrests, seconds count. Rapid by-standard CPR along with the application of a public access defibrillator can make a big difference in patient outcomes," he added.
Relating to municipal procedure during the council session, customer experience manager Angela Grenier says that under section 9.18 of the procedural bylaw which allows a meeting to be adjourned in the case of an emergency, “all resolutions that were passed last night are deemed adopted and no further procedural action is required."
